


Killer Ice

by Canariae



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Depression, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Loki is annoyed with feelings, Loki is trying to be good, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reader makes life hard on Loki, References to Depression, Remorseful Loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-05-14 21:55:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14777954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Canariae/pseuds/Canariae
Summary: You’ve managed to hide yourself from Shield & the Avengers, getting out of the life. But now that the Avengers have come crashing back into your life, you feel yourself getting sucked back in; much to the annoyance of a certain Trickster.





	1. Chapter 1

     It was 5am, far too early for any normal person to be awake, but you weren't normal after all. You got dressed and headed out your door, not bothering to lock it, there was nothing in there worth stealing. Once out of your apartment building, you took off running. Sometimes you weren't sure why you kept up with your training regime, it was probably out of habit more than anything. After all, you had been out and away from Shield for almost a full year now, but you still kept training. 

     You ran in the woods, this early in the morning the only people you seen were muggers, drunks or homeless people. You could take care of yourself, and often helped to stop others in need. People started saying there was a vigilante in the woods, you never killed anyone, simply left them tied up for the police to find. So, vigilante didn't seem like the right word. You shook the thought from your head and picked up the pace. It was a quiet morning as the sun was coming up, you enjoyed the view but didn't stop running. Not until you got back to your apartment. 

     As you presumed this morning and every other morning, no one broke in. You jumped in the shower to get ready for work, getting all the sweat off of you. After spending far too much time in the shower, you were running late, again. You cursed as you slipped on some blank pants with white polka dots and a lovely white blouse. You checked yourself in the mirror, ensuring that it wasn't see through. Once you were satisfied, your hair went up as you raced out of the door. 

     The hospital you worked at wasn't too far from your building, you made sure of that since you did not want to get a car; not in New York city at least. You stretched, your muscles were a little sore from your workout yesterday, but it was nothing compared to what you had endured when working for Shield, somehow, you thought you'd survive. 

     You walked into the hospital and bypassed the elevators, opting for the stairs as you have every other day. It was almost 7 am and the hospital was beginning to come alive with patients and doctors. 

     "(Y/N), are you up for lunch today?" A male voice startled you, causing you to turn around. It was just Dr. Thompson, he had an office on the 5th floor of the hospital and you have been trying to avoid him. 

     "Sure, I will see you around noon Brad" you offered. You had been dodging his advances as long as you could, maybe lunch wouldn't be that bad. You made quick work of the stairs, ending up on the seventh floor without breaking a sweat. You opened the door and walked in, sitting at your desk. Your boss was already there, standing just a few paces away from you. 

     "How was your night?" Dr. Smith asked. He was looking over a few files, sipping away at the coffee in his hands. 

     "Normal, just went to the gym and got some takeout" you offered. He tried to have a more personal relationship with you, but you kept it strictly business. You couldn't have him finding out too much about you. 

     "That's good" he muttered, not really paying attention to you any longer. You rolled your eyes and got to work on the pile that was sitting at your desk. "When does the first patient arrive?" His voice brought you out of your work and you checked the time. 

     "Should be here any minute" you told him. He nodded and headed back to his office. Thus, the day began. You tried to get work done as patients were coming in and out, asking all sorts of unrelated questions and bugging you about the weather. You wondered if all people were like this, so bored that they had to talk about the weather. You rolled your eyes discreetly and answered though, ensure that you didn't tell any of them off. 

     Some days you wondered why you thought it was a good idea to get a normal job, you weren't trained for normal. Then you remember why you left, and you suck it up long enough to get through the day and go home where you kept the alcohol. 

     Half way through the day you were getting exhausted. You craned your neck and tried to stretch, but it didn't help. That's when you noticed the commotion, people were at the window looking down in awe. Then you heard the dreaded words, 'look, it's the Avengers'. You cursed, getting up to see what they saw. 

     "Get away from the window" you ordered, pushing them all back to edge of the office. It was a good think you did because the next think you knew, there was a large creature crashing through the window and into the office. It looked like a big foot want-to-be. You stared at it, not moving, but before he could attack you, Tony came crashing in with his suit. Both the creature and Tony went tumbling through the office, breaking almost everything in the office but the people. Dr. Smith came running out to see all the commotion. Before he was able to get to far, you stopped him, pushing him back with the others. 

     "Stay here!" You ordered him and the others one more time. You watched Tony struggle with the creature and you sighed angrily when more crashing sounds came. Steve came running up the stairs, pushing the creature off Tony but it didn't seem to help too much. There was no way this was ending anytime soon. You shook you head, almost begging yourself not to do this, just let them handle it. Eventually, the better part of you won out and you lifted your hand. A jet of ice protruded from your hand, freezing the creature where it stood. 

     "(Y/N)?" Steve and Tony both turned around to see you glaring at them. "What are you doing here, I thought you retired?" Steve asked. 

     "I did, then Tony and that thing" you motioned to the frozen creature. "Came crashing through while I was at my new job" you looked back at the obviously glare your boss was giving you and making his way over. "Which I am pretty sure I am now fired from" you muttered. 

     "You work for him?" Tony's mask came up and you could see his obvious confusion. 

     "Yes, she does, and you will be paying for the damages here" Dr. Smith demanded. You crossed your arms, your annoyed expression very evident. 

     "Yeah, whatever" Tony waved the man off. "Are you a secretary?" Tony asked, ignoring the doctor's protests. 

     "Yes, what the hell is wrong with that?" You asked, daring Tony to challenge you. Steve tried to step in a few times, reigning Tony back but all attempts failed, as usual. 

     "Nothing Frosty, but you have a PhD in medicine, why the hell aren't you working as a doctor?" You glared at the nickname, you hadn't been called that in a long time. 

     "Can it Stark" you told him, letting your anger get the best of you. He held up his hands in surrender so you didn't turn his suit to ice, again. 

     "I heard the noise, are you alright (Y/N)?" Dr. Thompson's voice made you huff in annoyance as you turned to him. 

      "Who's this guy?" Tony asked, giving him a disapproving look. Tony always was overprotective, he tended to be that way with the whole team. 

     "I will call you later" you told the doctor, looking back over to Steve and Tony, you hoped Dr. Thompson would take the hint and leave, you couldn't deal with him right now. 

     "Do you think you can keep this guy on ice until we get him locked up?" Steve asked and you nodded. "The team is going to be really happy to see you, that is, if you want to come with us" he added quickly. 

     "Doesn't look like I have much of a choice. I'm out of a normal job and Fury is going to want to speak to me about this" you told him, giving in; there was no chance of fighting it now. Which is how you ended up back at Stark Tower against your own better judgement, but who know, maybe this time around things will be better.


	2. Chapter 2

 

     After sitting with Director Fury for what seemed like hours, you were finally able to leave. Unfortunately, you were only allowed to go to Stark Tower. Footage of the scene had already been uploaded to the internet and had a few million views. So either, you helped the Avengers or you attempted to live in a world where people would be frightened of you constantly. 

      You were disappointed to say the least, you had managed to hide your powers from the world for so long. Now you were right back to where you started and working with the Avengers again. Fury had mentioned there were a few new recruits since the attack on New York, after which you had left, and said they were excited to meet you. He also warned that Loki was now staying in the tower, as repentance for his crimes. That had been enough for you to spend a half an hour yelling at Fury and to your surprise, he let you. 

     After the yelling was done, you were tired and simply agreed to whatever he said. He had a car waiting for you downstairs to take you to the tower where Steve and Tony had already prepared for your return. You were not allowed to go back to your apartment, for fear that someone would see you or cause some trouble. Either way, there was no arguing with him seeing as he had already sent agents to your apartment and cleaned it out, bringing it all to Stark Tower.

     So now you sat in a car with tinted windows and a driver that hadn't said a word to you. The car suddenly stopped, your heart along with it. You looked outside and seen the opening of Stark Tower. You had an array of mixed emotions and wasn’t sure how to feel when the door opened for you. Taking a deep breath, you stepped out into the sun and flashing lights of cameras. The driver helped block me a little, trying to keep microphones out of my face as I rushed into the Tower. 

     "Sorry about that, we try and keep them further away but everyone seems to be quite fascinated with you" Steve told you. He was waiting in the lobby, arms crossed over his chest as he waited. 

     "It's fine, nothing I can't handle" you told him, smiling at him. As much as you wanted to get away from this life, you couldn't deny that you missed your friends. He smiled as well, uncrossing his arms and pulling you into a hug. 

     "We missed you" he tells you. You sink into the familiarity of the hug, breathing in his scent that hasn't changed. 

     "I've missed you too" you offer him. He smiles like he doesn't believe you but doesn't question it. 

     "Come, everyone is waiting to see you" he beckons, pulling away to lead you over to the elevator. From what you have seen of Stark Tower, it hasn't changed much. You watched the light hit all the floor numbers as you went up, unsure if you should be conversing or not. Instead, you used this time to steady your breathing, getting ready. 

     A ding signified that you had stopped and the elevator doors opened. You were greeted by a very excitable Natasha who pulled you into a hug before you were even able to get off the elevator. Steve held the doors opened as he tried to usher you both out. You finally managed to push her slightly so that the doors could close, her grip however, was like iron and you weren't getting out of that if she didn't want you to. 

     "I missed you so much, I can't believe your back" she whispered in your ear. You reciprocated the feeling, mostly about missing her, you didn't want to comment on being back in the Avengers just yet. 

     "Alright, we all want to see her, give everyone else a turn!" Clint yelled out. Natasha reluctantly let you go but she was soon replaced with Clint. "Happy you're back, kid" he whispered. 

     "Not a kid" you responded. He laughed and let you go, moving to the side so Bruce could give you a quick hug. 

     "It will be nice to have someone other than Tony in the lab, I'm happy your back" he smiled. Tony let out a protest and you snickered. You smiled at him as well, working in the lab was probably the only part of this you were looking forward to. 

     "I will start as soon as I get settled" you told him. Thor was the next one, however, instead of a simple hug, you were lifted off your feet. You squeaked as he gripped you tightly. "Nice to see you too Thor" you managed to croak out before he put you back down. Steve was still behind you, gaining your attention by a hand on your lower back. 

     "The rest of the team are here too" he mentioned, motioning over to a few people who were standing in the back, not drawing attention to themselves. 

     "Ah, the newbies" you smiled. He began to introduce them all and you shook their hands as you went. Wanda was first, you knew what she was capable of, having heard of her from the news and a bit from Fury. Next was Sam, the Falcon, as the news called him. Then Vision; you were a little skeptical about shaking his hand, unsure of the red skin but you didn't let it show. Surprisingly, it didn't feel any different. Bucky was the last one there and Sam starred at him fondly. 

     "Nice to meet you doll, heard a lot about you" he took your hand and pulled you into a hug, not giving you time to protest. You hugged back timidly. When he pulled away, you looked around, the team was a lot larger than you were used to and there was someone missing. 

     "Fury told me that Loki is now on the team?" You asked, looking around again in case you missed him. 

     "Yes, not that anyone is happy about it" Tony scoffed. "He doesn't play well with others, I'm sure he is around sulking somewhere" Tony motioned to the Tower in general. Having Loki just wondering about wasn't exactly putting you as ease, but Fury explained that he had been here for a while and hadn't caused trouble. You sighed, it wasn't going to do any good worrying about it anyway. 

     "If you guys don't mind, I think I would like to lay down for a bit" you said, your head was feeling a little woozy. 

     "Oh of course, your room is exactly how you left it" Steve told you. You nodded and thanked him, taking off in the direction of your room. It wasn't too far of a walk from the living room, a few stairs and a couple of hallways and you were there. You opened the door, the room smelled the same as it always had, your flower still alive on the stool by the door. You smiled again, feeling like you were home for only a split moment as you shut the door. A figure lurked in the shadows, a grin that your mind wouldn't let you forget. 

     "Nice to see you again, Snowflake". 

 


	3. Chapter 3

     "What are you doing here Loki, this is my room" you sighed, annoyed by his presence when all you really wanted to do was sleep. 

     "I wanted to see you, see if what they were saying is true" Loki started, looking around the room as he spoke to you. Instead of trying to get him to stop, you sat on your bed, head in your hands. "You know, the last time I saw you, you were throwing me out a window" Loki laughed. 

     "Well you were trying to take over our planet, I feel like it was the right choice" you spat. You decided to lay down on the bed, willing Loki to simply go away. 

     "I thought you ran away" Loki asked, the bed dipping beside you. You wondered if the team would mind you killing him, Thor maybe, but Tony would definitely be on your side. 

     "I didn't run away, I just left to live a normal life" you told him, turning around so you weren't facing him. 

     "And now you're back?" You weren't sure if it was a question or not, but Loki didn't seem to be leaving until he got what he had come for. 

     "Not like I had much of a choice" you replied bitterly. You fluffed the pillow and laid back down. Loki was silent for a moment, you almost wondered if he had finally left, but you didn't want to check. Instead you closed your eyes, willing yourself to fall asleep. After a few minutes, you felt Loki get up from the bed and you heard the door open and closed. You sighed in relief, finally you would be able to get some sleep. 

***

     "What the hell were you doing in (Y/N)'s room?" Tony asked angrily. Thor was beside him, his arms crossed and a scowl held on his face which was directed at his brother. 

     "We were just talking" Loki answered, not bothered by their distrustful nature. He had every intention of annoying you, his payback at you for getting the jump on him in New York. However, when he got there he found you simply looked defeated, and that wasn't any fun for him. 

     "Do not bother Lady (Y/N), she has been through enough" Thor spoke very carefully, enunciating every word in order to ensure his brother understood. "We are grateful she is back and will not have you drive her away again" Thor added. 

     "She doesn't want to be here anyway" Loki answered. "Why not?" He was curious and he assumed that you were not going to tell him, at least not anytime soon. 

     "It's none of your business, just stay away from her" Tony ordered before walking away. Thor gave his brother one last glare before joining Tony, leaving Loki alone with his thoughts. 

***

     You awoke and turned around to check the alarm clock. It was a little after midnight, you slept through the afternoon and supper. Your stomach growled, as if making a point to remind you that you hadn't eaten all day. You rolled your eyes, you weren't really in the mood to eat. Sleeping didn't seem like a great option either, since you seemed wide awake. 

     Instead, you looked around your room. There was no dust anywhere that would suggest you haven't been around. Everything was kept neat and tidy. All your books had been rearranged in alphabetical order you noticed, the last time you were in this room, they were simply laying around everywhere. You got up and walked over to the closet, it looked like all your clothes were still here, plus some new ones that still had the tags on them. 

     You took a new pair of yoga pants out and a tank top, changing into those before putting your hair up and heading downstairs. The tower didn't seem to have changed at all, bits of Stark's technology were scattered throughout the shared living room. Thor's hammer was on the coffee table as well as one of Clint's bows. 

     Instead of sitting down on one of the couches, you moved to the kitchen and grabbed a protein bar. You didn't feel like having anything to eat, but you knew that if you didn't have something, you would pass out eventually. At least this was bland and filling. 

     While eating the bar, you made your way down to the gym. It should be quiet this time of night, the perfect time to work out. Instead of quiet, you walked into the room and seen Loki hitting one of the punching bags. He noticed you instantly and stopped. 

     "Sorry, I didn't think anyone else was up" you told him. You turned around to leave, you could always go for a run instead. 

     "You don't have to leave, there is more than enough room for both of us" Loki voice came as you reached for the door knob. You turned around for a moment, surveying the room. He was right, Loki was only taking up a small part of the very large gym. You nodded your head, going over to the weight bench at the other end of the room. 

     You began your workout, knowing Loki's eyes were on you instead of the bag he was punching. You tried your best to ignore it as you moved onto different free weights. The punching sounds stopped and you glanced up from the floor for a moment to see Loki taking a break and walking over to you. 

     "Why are you up so late, anyway?" He asked, offering you a bottle of water. You took it carefully after putting your weights back. 

     "Slept all afternoon apparently, not tired anymore" you told him. The truth with no extra details, it was the best way to deal with Loki, you found. The last time you had a real conversation with him was when he was locked up in a prison meant for the Hulk. Now, he was free, and you simply couldn't be bothered to worry about it. If he was going to try and take over the world again, surely, he would have done it by now. 

     "So you just decided to work out in the middle of the night?" Loki asked as he took a seat on the weight bench. 

     "What else was I going to do?" You asked and he shrugged. "Besides, your here aren't you? Must not be a terrible time to exercise" you added and Loki snickered. 

     "The only reason I'm here is because the rest of the team hates me, this is the only time I can work out in peace" he told you. It was a good reason and you didn’t know what else to say. You stood there, quiet for a moment. 

     "Well, I think I'm going to go for a run on the track, I will see you later" you mumbled, leaving Loki in the gym alone again. Loki watched you leave, wondering if he should follow or not. You acted as if you were okay, but he could see you weren't. There was no reason he should care; his only goal was to annoy you as punishment fr throwing him out a window. Sure, he was a god and it didn't kill him, but the fall had hurt. He sighed and went back to the punching bag, telling himself he was not going to get involved. 


	4. Chapter 4

     It was five am when you got up the next morning, your routine was changing the longer you were in the Tower. You no longer went for runs in the morning, since you could work out anytime you wanted to in the gym. Alas, you were still unable to sleep in, or sleep at night; in fact, you had barely gotten any sleep since arriving in the tower. 

     You made your way to the coffee pot and proceeded to prepare the machine. It was probably the only thing that was going to make this say bearable. You were working with Steve today to see where your training was and what needed to be worked on. Steve was nice, however he treated you like a fragile doll and that made you angry most of the time. 

     The coffee was done so you poured yourself a cup and sat at the table, staring at the dark liquid as you tried to wake yourself up. 

     "You look like hell" Loki's voice interrupted your quiet morning. You sighed but didn't look away from your coffee. 

     "And you’re an ass" you replied angrily. "Why are you up so early anyway? You were up just as late as I was" you commented. Loki simply shrugged as he headed towards the kitchen and began pulling out ingredients. 

     "I don't need much sleep I suppose, what's your excuse?" He asked. You spun your chair so you were facing him. 

     "Same" you began. "What are you doing?" You asked as you watched him move around the kitchen. He seemed to know where everything was and what he was looking for, you did not take the prince for the cooking type. 

     "I am starting my breakfast" he said. You narrowed your eyes at him, you had figured that but it didn't explain anything. He sighed, "no one here likes or trust me. I learned pretty quickly to fend for myself, unfortunately that also met learning to cook with your Midgardian technologies" he explained. 

     "I can't believe you know how to cook" you laughed. "Are you any good?" You asked, you were completely intrigued now, despite the person you were talking to being Loki. 

     "I guess you will find out" Loki smirked. You laughed but agreed. You watched him work his way around the kitchen as you drank more and more coffee. By the time he was done, you would be an anxious mess, you assumed. "All done!" Loki announced, turning around with two plates of pancakes. You smiled and grabbed yours, your stomach grumbling. You dug right in and paused at the first bite. 

     "These are actually amazing, I am pleasantly surprised" you told him and he smiled. An actually smile, you couldn't think if a time you had seen that. To be fair, most of the time you had spent with Loki was during the battle of New York, so there hadn't been a lot of opportunities. 

     "I am a prince, I can conquer anything" Loki spoke proudly as he ate his breakfast as well. You tried to stifled a giggle. 

     "Except our planet" you muttered. Loki stopped and glared at you before you both went back to eating your breakfast in peace and quiet. Once it was done, you grabbed another cup of coffee just as the others were getting up and filing into the kitchen. Tony was the first to glare at Loki who had been sitting awfully close to you. 

     "I'm going to go get ready for the day" you muttered, taking your coffee and heading back up to your room. Once you were gone, Tony smacked Loki in the back of the head. 

     "I told you to leave her alone" he hissed. Steve stood on the other side of Loki, arms crossed like a disappointed father. 

     "I didn't do anything, we just ate breakfast" Loki tried to defend himself. If he hadn't promised his brother that he would be on his best behavior, he would have killed Tony for that hit. Loki got up and moved away from the two Avengers. "I don't know why you two are so protective of her but she is a big girl, I think she can decide for herself if she wants me around or not" Loki spat before heading out of the kitchen as Thor was heading in. 

     "What was that about?" Thor asked, watching his brother angrily step away. It was never good when Loki was angry, that tended to be when he made the evil mistakes. 

     "Your brother does not listen well" Tony explained. Thor knew that, it wasn't as if that was new information. Tony sighed, "he was in here alone with (Y/N)". 

     "Maybe we should just tell him why we are worried, I'm sure he would understand" Thor asked as he sat down at the table. 

     "Look, we all know that New York wasn't really his fault and he feels guilty enough" Steve started but paused at Tony's scoff. Thor had explained about the torture and Thanos (who was still an unknown threat) and the team had done their best to accept Loki but it wasn't easy. Loki tried not to show it, but they could tell, he showed remorse for what he had done. "It's best that we just keep them away from each other, we don't want to scare either of them off" Steve finished. 

     "Fine" Thor and Tony both agreed and went about the rest of their day. 

***

     You were stretching in the gym when Steve came in for your training session. You were hyped up from the coffee and ready to get rid of some excess energy. 

     "Are you sure that you're up for this?" Steve asked and you rolled your eyes. You got into a fighting stance, hoping to prove a point but he still seemed hesitant. 

     "I'm not a glass doll Steve, I'm fine" you told him firmly, annoyed with him for asking. He didn't seem to believe you but started anyway. He charged at you and you easily dodged him. Sending a few punches his way, you managed to land most of them. He either wasn't expecting you to still be this good, or he was pulling his own punches. 

     He got one hit in, but you could tell he had been gentle. You let that one go, and got a few more hits in. A few kicks     and you accidentally lost your balance, giving him the upper hand. His hit should have hurt, but it didn't. You groaned in frustrations. 

     "Stop treating me like a child that needs to be protected Steve!" You yelled at him. Steve looked taken back by your sudden outburst. 

     "I don't want to hurt you" Steve whispered and you let out another frustrated yell before stomping up to him.

     "Listen here, I am not a child Steve. I know the last time we saw each other, I wasn't in a good place and lord knows I don't want to be back here, but I can handle it. So treat me like a teammate or leave" you threatened. 

     "Maybe you need someone new to train with; I know I wouldn't go easy on you" Loki's voice came from the open door. You turned around to see him leaning on the door frame, a smirk on his face. 

     "I don't think that's such a -" Steve began. 

     "I think it's a great idea actually" you told Steve. He looked like he wanted to argue but couldn't find the right words. He eventually agrees with a disappointed 'fine' and left you alone with Loki. 

     "So, do you want to talk about what that was about?" Loki asked after the door closed. You got into a fighting stance. 

     "Not even a little, let's just get to the part where I kick your ass". 


	5. Chapter 5

     Loki held you to the ground for the third time this morning as you tried to kick him off. You were tired though, you had been training since four in the morning, neither of you being able to sleep. It was almost ten, and you couldn't get him off of you this time. 

     "You seem tired, snowflake" Loki smirked down at you. You glared as him and used your powers, creating two large ice pillars that pushed him away from you. 

     "I can keep going, Trickster", it was your turn to smirk as you got up from the ground. Loki glared but got up as well. He could tell that you were tired, but you weren't going to admit it to him. 

     "I think that's enough for today, we can pick back up early tomorrow morning" Loki told her as Steve and Tony came into the room. They both glared at Loki and avoided your gaze. This didn't surprise you, but it was only working on your nerves even more. 

     "Alright, tomorrow morning it is" you huffed out. It would be nice to use the rest of the day to relax, catch up on some reading and avoid the Avengers. Loki started picking up a bit of the equipment, putting it away, avoiding Steve and Tony. 

     "So, how's the training going?" Steve asked, avoiding the fact that both you and Loki seemed to be going out of your way to ignore them. 

     "Good" was all your replied. You heard Loki mutter the same thing quickly as he picked up and towel and whipped the sweat from his face. You did the same with your own towel, back turned to the others. 

     "Okay, just thought we would come check on you" Tony muttered, it came out as more of a whisper. "And to let you know that we have a mission but since you two aren't cleared for field duty, you'll have to stay here" Tony added. 

     You and Loki both stopped moving for a brief moment. You took a deep breath before grabbing your stuff and turning around. 

     "The mission isn't too far from here, should only take a couple of hours and we'll be back" Steve informed you. 

     "Be safe out there" you told them with as much of a smile as you could muster and left the gym. You didn't hear Loki's response, and you had no desire to. You simply walked into your room and shut the door. You were upset about not being able to go out into the field, this would be the first time you were being left behind, and it stung a little. 

     Not that the Avengers had any say in that, you knew it came from Fury who, despite your annoyance, was looking out for you. But you rationally brain seemed to be taking a vacation while your emotions took over. You let a few tears fall as you started the showering, you didn't want to become a sniffling mess so you tried to get yourself to stop. 

***

     A few hours later you were finally able to leave your room. You found Loki sitting in the living room, book in hand. He noticed you walk in, but only spared a glance your way. The tower was quiet, you assumed the Avengers were already packed and gone. You went to Tony's small bar that was in the shared living room and poured yourself a glass of scotch. 

     "I heard you crying you know", he didn't even look up from his book when he spoke and you rolled your eyes. You had tried to be as quiet as possible, mostly to avoid this exact conversation. 

     "You spying on me now?" You snapped. You poured a little extra in your glass before sitting at the bar. Your plan had been to watch tv, but you weren't particularly fond of being that close to Loki right now. 

     "No, you were just very loud" he commented, flipping one of the pages and continuing to read. "So, are you going to tell why you were crying?" He asked. You took a large gulp of your drink and stood up to pour some more in your glass. 

     "No, and don't think that because I agreed to train with you that this somehow makes us friends. This isn't a buddy comedy, or a romantic comedy where I will wake up one day and realize I am in love with you. I don't like you and I don't want to take about my personal life with you" you told him before grabbed the bottle. You turned to head back upstairs and drink your anger away but Loki's hand gripped yours. "Let me go Loki" you warned. 

     "No, not until we talk about this" his voice was firm. It was only serving to make you angrier with him. You knew you shouldn't be, there was no logical reason for you to be angry with him, but it was happening whether you wanted it to or not. 

     "I haven't done anything since you've gotten back to the tower. Why are you lashing out at me?" He asked. You tried to remove your arm from his but he only held it tighter.

     "Because you're the reason my family is dead", the minute the words came out of your mouth, you regretted them. You saw the shock, then hurt in his eyes as he let go of your hand and stumbled back. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that" you whispered. You weren't sure what to do, you couldn't take it back. 

     "No wonder you hate me" Loki sighed, moving away from you. You blinked back tears, you hadn't meant to hurt him, you had just been so angry. 

     "I never said I hated you" you whispered. You crossed your arms in front of your body, as if that would be able to comfort you. "Fury told me it wasn't your fault" you tried but Loki whipped around, like your anger had somehow shifted to him. 

     "Yet you still blame me" you were taken back a bit. 

     "No" you told him, it came out a little louder than a whisper. Loki chuckled and shook his head at you. 

     "Do not lie to the God of Lies, snowflake", without another word, a defeated looking Loki left the room as the Avengers came in. You tried to hold back the tears but knew they would fall again soon. You turned and smiled at the Avengers. 

     "Hey, what's wrong?" Steve asked and you shook your head. You couldn't take about it, not right now. You had transferred all the blame onto Loki that you had been keeping for yourself, and you knew it wasn't his fault. You had to apologize, but you weren't sure how. Without saying anything else, you left the room to think about it. 

     "I knew them being together was a bad idea" Tony grumbled, but deep down, he was worried about you. And, as much as he hated to admit it, he was worried about Loki. 

     "Nothing we can do now but damage control" Steve sighed. "Thor, you and Bruce take your brother. Natasha and I will speak with (Y/N)". 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of attempted suicide, if you are not comfortable with that, skip the first two parts of this chapter. (After the second ***, you should be fine). I hope everyone enjoys!

     You sat on your bed, head against the wall and knees pulled up to your chest. You weren't sure how to apologize to Loki, or if he even wanted to hear it. Both Natasha and Steve had come by to check on you but you didn't allow them in. You knew it would only be a matter of time before they tried again and wouldn't take no for an answer. 

     One thing you knew for certain, you weren't going to work out what to do just sitting here. So you got changed into some workout clothes with the intention of going to the gym. You always thought better during a run, it cleared your head. Once changed, you put your hair up and opened the door to Steve ready to knock. 

     "Hey, I was just coming to check on you" he said, lowering his arm. You pushed past him but he followed you down the hall. 

     "I'm fine Steve, just going for a run down in the gym" you told him and he stopped following you, at least you weren't hold up in your room anymore. 

***

     "Why is everyone so afraid to hurt her feelings? I think I deserve to know that much, you have all walked on eggshells since she came back" Loki spat at his brother. He was angry and taking it out on anyone who was near. Bruce stood next to door, arms crossed as he watched Loki pace back and forth angrily. 

     "I don't think that is for us to say" Thor muttered, he wanted to tell Loki but the team had said they wouldn't. 

     "Why not? She already told me that I killed her family, but the way you treat her, there has to be more to it" Loki wasn't stupid, it was more than that. 

     "She tried to kill herself" Steve said, standing in the doorway. Thor turned around and glared at him, as if that would be enough to shut him up. Loki stumbled backwards, his balance suddenly unstable. 

     "What?" He asked, hoping he hadn't heard correctly. Bruce sighed and walked over to him as Steve did the same. 

     "When the battle was over, she found out her family was dead. Her husband, sister and both parents had been trapped in a building that collapsed. She got depressed and reckless, so much so that Fury took her off mission. We came back one day to find that she had overdosed, we worked quickly and saved her but she left after that" Bruce explained. 

     Loki was silent for a moment, looking at the ground. It had been hard for the Avengers to believe that he had felt remorse for the attack on New York. Even harder to believe that he had not been in control of himself. But in time, they had all come to see that he hated what he had done, and now for Loki to find this out, it was a little too much. He cleared his throat, hands behind his back and head held high.

     "Brother, I wish to finish my punishment on Asgard" he spoke confidently as the others regarded him with confusion. 

     "Father will lock you away in the cells, you know this" Thor tried to reason with him. Loki nodded his head. 

     "I have made up my mind, I hope to see you soon" Loki told him before walking out of the room. He ignored the others as they tried to stop him and headed down to where the Bifrost would open for him. 

***

     You were running on the treadmill, heart pounding and your breath ragged when Thor burst into the gym. The door fell off its hinges and the room shook so much you fell off the treadmill and into the wall. 

     "What the fuck, Thor?" You yelled, rubbing your head where you hit the wall. You shakily stood up, nothing else really hurt, thankfully. 

     "It's Loki" he said. 

     "Is he okay?" You asked right away. You still hadn't found the right way to apologize. You had thought about baking him something, but then remembered you were horrible baker. A home cooked meal had the same issue, you just shouldn't be allowed to cook period. 

     "No, he decided to finish the rest of his punishment on Asgard. Father will lock him in the dungeons and throw away the key, him coming here was the only leniency he was going to get" Thor explained. 

     "Where is he?" You asked. You had to stop him, this wasn't what you wanted. You had no doubt that it was your fault as well. 

     "Outside, where the Bifrost opens" Thor told you and you rushed past him. You ran as fast as you could, bursting through the doors outside. You saw Loki already in chains and a muzzle. 

     "Hey! Stop!" You yelled out as you rushed over to them. You could see Loki's eyes widen as he watched you rush over to him. The guard stepped towards you, weapon at the ready. 

     "This is not your business, Midgardian, leave" he told you. You glared at him, not caring about the weapon in his hand. 

     "I don't care, Loki stays here" you told them. You could see Loki shaking his head, trying to convey something with panicked eyes but you weren't sure what it was. 

     "The Prince has requested to return to Asgard for his punishment, that cannot be undone by some mortal woman" the guard sneered at you. You simply glared harder. You couldn't let Loki leave without apologizing; especially when this whole situation was your fault. You knew you shouldn't have come back to the Avengers, but that was an issue for another time. Now, you had to save Loki from himself. 

     "I am not letting Loki leave this planet" you stood firmly to the ground, unwilling to let the guards intimidate you. You could have attacked them, used your powers but you also didn't want to start an interplanetary war with Loki's adoptive Father, you had a feeling that wouldn't be much better. 

     "If you continue to impede our attempts to bring the prince back to Asgard, you will be arrested as well" the guard warned. 

     "Well then, I guess you'll just have to arrest me", large handcuffs were placed around your wrists and then behind your back. You cursed at yourself, you should really learn to think before you speak. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone still like this fic? It is by far my worse one so I am not sure if I should continue it or put it on hiatus for now.

     “What the hell were you thinking?” Loki yelled at you once the door closed and he was sure the guards were done. You were placed in the cell across from him, so you could each see each other at all times. 

     “I was trying to protect you!” You yelled back. You wanted to slap him but the glass in front of you was going to make it difficult. You wondered if you could break it with your powers, although this was a magical realm, so you assumed they had some sort of protection against that. 

     “Well you did a wonderful job snowflake” Loki grumbled. You huffed and sat down in the middle of your cell, crossing your arms in anger. “So what, you’re just going to sit there and pout now?” Loki asked, almost snickering at you. 

     “I’m not pouting, I’m thinking of a way out” you told him. There had to be a way out, so you thought about thinking of ways that an Asgardian wouldn’t think to guard against. You shot up from the floor, surprising Loki with your sudden movements. 

     "What are you doing now?" Loki asked. You went along the cells on your hands and knees, starting at the ground and mapped your way around it. 

     "I'm assuming there is some magical properties shielding the cells, to prevent escape, right?" You asked, ignoring his question. You moved the corners of the cells, looking at them carefully. 

     "Yes, we can use your powers in the cell but nothing can penetrate the barrier" he answered. He was looking at you intently, wondering what you were doing. 

     "Would Odin think to guard against anything other than magic?" You asked, taking a brief moment to look at him with a smile on your face. Loki seemed to think about it when the realization of what you were saying hit him. 

     "No, he wouldn't" Loki smirked. Before he could say anything else, the sound of the door creaking open hit your ear. "Stop" Loki hissed and for once, you did as you were told and stopped looking around. You went to the middle of the cell, arms crossed as you waited for whoever it was to show themselves. 

     You were surprised when a lovely woman with golden blonde hair walked in. She was cloaked in a magnificent dress with golden jewellery hanging off of her. She smiled at you briefly and then turned to Loki. 

     "Mother" he spoke politely and bowed. You were a little shocked that the Queen had come to visit them in the cells, but she wasn't just a queen after all, she was a mother. 

     "What are you doing back here Loki? Thor said you were doing well on Midgard, you were even getting along with the natives" she was worried about him. Loki's eyes flickered to you, a sad look on his face but only for a moment. His mother only needed a moment and she turned to you. 

     "Ah, I see" she said. What she says, you weren't sure. Did she know about the argument you and Loki had? "So how did you end up imprisoned with my son?" She asked, a smirk on her face. 

     "I tried to stop him from leaving but your guards weren't very cooperative" you answered, trying to be as diplomatic as you could be. Frigga turned back to Loki. 

     "I will see what I can do to get you both sent back to Midgard but I fear your father is being quite stubborn" Frigga told you both before turning around to walk away, but she paused. "Whatever the circumstances, I do enjoy seeing you again, my son" she sent a smile your way as well before leaving. As soon as you heard the door shut, you were back to your escape plan. 

     "Why did you try and leave Loki?" You asked, not looking at him. You hadn't had time for this conversation while being taken to Asgard and being thrown in the prison cell. Now seemed like as good a time as any though. 

     "Because I have caused you too much pain already" Loki answered with a sadness to his voice. You paused your movements for a moment, takin in what he said. 

     "They told you" you mumbled. You moved up the side of the wall until you found a panel that opened. In it were a bunch of wires and a large pulsing crystal. You pulled it out and heard the power die in your cell. You walked to the door and managed to simply push it open. "Well that was easier than I thought it would be" you mumbled to yourself. 

     "Great, now get me out snowflake" Loki ordered, you rolled your eyes but looked around. There had to be something to power down the cells. 

     "Are the cells protected from the outside?" You asked. 

     "I don't think so. Why?" Loki asked but before he could get an answer, you sent shards of ice towards the glass of Loki's cell. You watched as he leaped backwards to avoid getting hit by the broken glass. "Next time, give me some warning" he complained and you smiled. 

     "What fun would that be?" You asked as he climbed out of his jail cell. He walked up to you, staring for a moment while you wondered what he was doing. 

     "I'm sorry about your family" he said, and he actually did look sorry. 

     "No, I'm sorry. I should have not yelled at you like that, it was uncalled for because I know New York wasn't your fault" you told him, but you didn't  want to talk about that now. "How about we save the mushy stuff for later? I think we should be escaping right about now" you told him and he laughed. 

     "Yes, I suppose we should" Loki smiled before a large explosion shook the ground you were standing on. Loki sighed, "I think our grand escape with have to wait" he pouted. He shimmered into his battle armor as you shimmered into your Avengers suit. You hadn't worn in it awhile, you forgot how tight the grey fabric was. "It's safe down here, you are not coming with me" Loki glared at you but you just scoffed. 

     "Try and stop me"


	8. Chapter 8

     You quickly followed Loki through the castle; not taking any time to marvel at the beauty of it. You stopped at a corner, pausing while Loki took a look around it. He turned back and waited, some guards went by quickly but didn’t notice either of you. 

     “The palace must be under attack” Loki whispered to you. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes, you had worked that much out by yourself. 

     “Who would be attacking?” You whispered back as Loki motioned for you to follow him. You hurried down the corridor before anyone could see you. You stopped at a window and followed Loki’s glare to the courtyard. 

     “Frost Giants” he seethed. You knew that wasn’t good. You were told of Loki’s heritage, by Thor, in confidence one night when he had drunk too much. Although, these ones looked much bigger than Loki. 

     “What do we do?” You asked. You could hear screaming beginning from down in the courtyard and you winced. 

     “We can fight them, we share similar powers so you shouldn’t get burn if they touch you” Loki told you quickly. You materialized a dagger in your hands and began walking towards the fight, but Loki stopped you. “You don’t have to do this” he told you. You smiled and cupped his cheek. 

     “This is your home Loki, let’s go save it” you smirked and he nodded. Both of you rushed down, avoiding contact with the guards that you passed. Loki stayed close to you, making sure you were following him at all times. You knew he was protecting you, even if you didn’t want it, but you let it go for now. 

     Once you were on the main floor, you took in the battle. Odin’s army was at the gates, trying and desperately failing to keep the Frost Giants at bay.  You watched as a few made it into the castle, tearing the guards down as they did. The noise was almost unbearable, screams broke out every time a Frost Giant would move their hands. 

     “Stay here and keep those gates guarded, I will take care of the others!” You yelled out to Loki. You know he heard you because of the look of worry in his eyes. “I’ll be fine!” you yelled out before heading down the hall. You followed the sounds of women's screams, hoping you wouldn’t be too late. 

     You noticed the first frost giant right away and you broke out into a faster run. You kicked off the hallway walls and landed on top of his back. Luckily, Loki had been right and you felt no burning sensation when you made contact, only cold. You plunged your dagger into his neck, hoping they had similar anatomy to humans and you just severed his carotid artery. 

     He slumped to the ground as you jumped off. Three women in magnificent dressed were huddled into the corner. They seemed alright at first glance, just scared and cold. 

     “Stay hidden” you told them. One of them nodded in understanding, and you hoped that was enough. “There shouldn’t be any more coming through, but just in case” you materialize a dagger and gave it to the one who nodded. She took it eagerly and kept it in front of her. “Be safe” you told them before leaving. There were still a few more who had gotten passed the front gates. 

     You ran down a few halls, unsure of where you were going. A scream brought you back into focus though, and you followed the sounds. 

     “Get away from them” you heard a familiar voice hiss. You skidded to a stop when you see two frost giants backing Loki’s mother up into a corner as she protected small children behind her. 

     “Why don’t you pick on someone else!” You yelled out, getting their attention. You could see Frigga huddle the children into a corner once the attention was off of her. You swung your dagger around as they approached, just waiting for them to get close enough. 

     “Come here little girl, and we promise to make your death a quick one” one of them growled out. You shrugged your shoulders. 

     “Sorry, but that doesn’t really work for me” you told them before throwing your dagger. It hit the one of them in the chest, right where the heart should have been. You were right, thanking that they anatomy wasn’t too different than your own. The one left screamed in anger and lunged at you. 

      You hit the wall roughly as you produced another dagger in your hand. You stabbed him in the back, but it didn’t seem to deter him as he picked you up and launched you across the room. You groaned as you looked up and seen Frigga’s worried glance fixed on you. You smiled at her, trying to diminish her worry. 

     The Frost Giant was making another room, running towards you very quickly. There wasn’t enough time for you to struggle to get up. Instead, you propelled an icicle towards his chest, allowing him to impale himself on it. There was a blood splatter, a slight hiss and then nothing. Frigga’s arms wrapped around you and helped you to your feet, you wobbled for a moment before finding your balance. 

     “Thank you, that was very brave of you” Frigga smiled at you and it reminded you of Loki, even though they didn’t share any DNA, they were remarkably alike. 

     “It was nothing” you told her. You tested your feet and ankles, nothing was broken, you were just sore. “I have to go help Loki with the others, he stayed at the front gates with the guards” you told her. She nodded and yelled at you to be careful, you were already in a full sprint towards Loki though. 

     It was easily to backtrack; the screaming was still going on and it sounded as though the guards were losing. Once there, it was easy to pick Loki out of the crowd. He moved with expert precision, taking down two Frost Giants at a time. You smiled, relieved that he was okay. 

     You ran up a ledge and jumped into the fight, taking a Frost Giant down with you as you did so. You took your dagger out of his chest and got up, looking around for Loki once more. It was a little harder to see in the middle of the fight, so instead, you began slashing your way through Frost Giants. 

     “Head back, barricade the halls and let Loki and I deal with these guys” you yelled at a guard; they were just getting in the way at this point. He didn’t even hesitate at the command, didn’t question who you were or why Loki was back, he just ran back into the hall with the others. You definitely thought it should have been harder to convince them of that, but they weren’t your guards, so what did you care?

     “What are you doing back here?” Loki asked once the guards left and he had a good view of you. He was soaked in blood and sweat, his helmet discarded into a Frost Giants chest, but he was alive. 

     “I took care of the others, thought you might need a hand” you smirked. He laughed, turning around and swinging his dagger. You were making easy work on the enemy now but a few managed to get away, heading back from however they got on to Asgard you assumed. You and Loki huffed and watched them go. “Should we follow them?” 

     “Not like we have anything waiting for us here, I doubt Odin will be lenient just because we saved the castle” Loki rolled his eyes at the mere mention of Odin. He turned to you and shakily grabbed your hand. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry”. 

     “For what?” Your eyebrows knitted together in confusion. 

     “For killing your family, for dragging you into this. You deserve better” he whispered, ignoring the murmur of the guards. You squeezed his hand and looked up at him. 

     “Loki, training with you, arguing with you, fighting with you has been the most fun I have had in a long time. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else” you told him. Your eyes flickered to his lips and back up again. You hadn’t thought about kissing anyone since the battle of New York, the feelings felt strange. You wondered what Loki was thinking, and wished, for just a moment, that you could read his mind. Before you had the chance to answer, someone cleared their throat and interrupted you. 

     There stood Odin, with four pristine guards on either side of him. They definitely had not been in the fight, and neither had Odin; which lead you to wonder where he had been all that time. Loki squeezed your hand this time but didn't let go as he glared at his adoptive father. Odin’s eyes looked down at your hands, which made you grip Loki harder as Odin huffed. 

     “Take them back to the dungeons”. 


	9. Chapter 9

     “Mr. Stark, there is a man here to see you” Friday announced through the living room. Everyone turned around to Tony to see what it was about. 

     “That’s weird, send him up!” Tony called out, finishing the whiskey he had in his hand. Everyone turned slightly so they could see the hallway where the elevator would let out. Soon enough, a man in a white coat came through, looking nervous. 

     “Hello” the man waved slightly. Tony got up from the couch and went to the bar, pouring himself another drink. 

     “You wanted to see me?” Tony asked. The man nodded, coming in a little further to the living room. Steve and Natasha got up as well, a little weary about the new stranger. 

     “Yes, actually I came to ask about (Y/N), she said she would call me but I haven't heard from her yet. I am getting worried” he said. 

     “Oh, I remember you. You were a doctor where she had been working right?” Tony exclaimed, happy he remembered. The man nodded vigorously. 

     “Yes, my name is Brad or Dr. Thompson if you prefer” he held out his hand. Tony took it tentatively and shook it. “(Y/N) and I were supposed to have a lunch date the day she left, I’ve been very worried” he said and Tony laughed; until he noticed the doctor’s confused expression. 

     “Oh, you’re serious” Tony mumbled. Steve rolled his eyes. 

     “Nice to meet you, sir” Steve shook the man’s hand, sending a glare towards Tony, trying to tell him to behave. “I’m sure we can find (Y/N) around here somewhere” Steve smiled. 

     “Has anyone seen Frosty and Reindeer Games lately?” Tony asked around. Everyone shook their heads, it had been at least a day and there had been no sign of either of them. “Friday, can you run a scan for those two? They couldn’t have gone far” Tony asked. 

     “Right away, Mr. Stark” Friday responded. It was silent for a few moments while the AI searched the tower. “I’m sorry Mr. Stark but it looks like (Y/N) and Loki haven't been back to the tower since yesterday afternoon” the AI told them. 

     “We lost them?” Natasha asked angrily.

     “Don’t be silly, of course we didn’t lose them” Tony scoffed at her. “Friday, bring up security footage from yesterday afternoon, at the time they both left the tower”. Everyone looked towards the TV as the footage loaded. They watched Loki summon the Bifrost and then two guards coming to handcuff then. Then they watched as you ran out to argue with the guards, it was only minute before you disappeared into the Bifrost with Loki. “Okay, so maybe we did lose them”. 

***

     "Well at least they put us in the same cell this time, that was nice of them” you broke the silence as you sat on the bed. Loki scoffed and rolled his eyes at you. 

     “Oh yes, how nice of them to trap two people in a small cell with very few resources” Loki mocked and now it was your turn to roll your eyes. 

     “I’m just trying to make the best of a bad situation. Besides, shouldn’t Thor be coming to rescue you us soon?” Loki sighed, pushing his body off the wall and sitting on the bed with you. He looked sad, but you weren’t sure what you could do to help. 

     “Even if he does, I’m not sure that it will do any good” Loki confessed. “Odin is convinced that I can’t be reformed and unfortunately you’ve thrown in with a known criminal so I doubt he will have any leniency for you” Loki told you. 

     “Well we will just have to escape again then” you resolved. He smiled at your enthusiasm as you shot up from the bed. You looked around the cell quickly, wondering where to start. Unfortunately, they closed up the area that you had used before, but there was always another way. You went to the panel they sealed off and followed it up. 

     Loki watched as a tower of ice formed under your feet, pushing you up towards the ceiling. Once high enough, you began fiddling around with panels, seeing if you could get one of them loose. They didn’t want to budge. 

     “Try freezing them, they’ll be easier to break” Loki called out to you. 

     “Good idea, trickster”, you placed your hands on the panel and began to freeze it. A few minutes later and a well-placed punch, you were into the ceiling. “Can you come up here?” You asked Loki. Within a few seconds, Loki was squeezing in beside you. 

     “Tight squeeze” Loki mumbled. You were shoulder to shoulder with him, the space only gave you so much room to move around before, but now Loki was taking most of that room. 

     “See those wires over there, I need to short circuit the system. Can you catch it on fire?” you asked and Loki smirked. “A small, controlled fire” you added. 

     “Fine, take all my fun away” Loki grumbled and you couldn’t help but smile. He concentrated and sent a little flame towards the wires. It caught fire quickly, you and Loki watched as a few sparks flew. Suddenly a few cracks were heard and the fire was getting larger. “Uh oh”.

***

     “I can’t believe you didn’t realize they were missing!” Thor yelled out as he stomped across the grass on the way to the Bifrost opening. 

     “Hey, news flash Point Break, you didn’t realize they were missing either!” Tony yelled back. Thor grumbled something under his breath before stopping on the burnt pattern on the ground. He held up his hammer, ready to call for Heimdall. 

     “Someone should go with you, we don’t know what kind of state (Y/N) will be in when you get there” Steve interrupted. Thor put his hammer back down and thought about it. 

     “Come on then Steve” Thor said quickly. 

     “I didn’t mean me” Steve stuttered. Tony pushed him forward towards Thor. He didn’t have his Sheild or his suit, he wasn’t even sure if he would need it. 

     “Point Break’s right, he may need back up and Frosty trusts you” Tony quipped. Steve rolled his eyes but mumbled an agreement. 

     “Heimdall, take us home!” Thor called out. The blinding light of the Bifrost came down and suddenly they were gone. 

     “Is anyone watching the doctor?” Bruce asked as they all turned around to head back into the tower. Tony blanched and muttered a loud ‘Fuck’. 

***

     “Are you sure you’re alright?” Thor asked as they walked the bridge. Steve was a little wobbling on his feet, having never travelled by Bifrost before. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself and his nauseous stomach. 

     “I think so” he breathed out. He took this time to look around, the people and the village all bustled with life. “Your home is very beautiful” Steve praised. 

     “Yes, it is quite beautiful. I am glad you are finally able to see it” Thor’s smile widened. Even though he was here to rescue you and his brother, he was still happy to be home. They walked through the village silently while Steve took in his new surroundings. He gawked at the palace once they were close enough, unable to believe his eyes. 

     “Welcome home Prince Thor” one of the guards welcomed. Thor nodded to them and ushered Steve inside. Once he was up close to the palace, he noticed they were crumbling and bent. The destruction seemed to lead into the palace and Thor began to worry. 

     “You don’t think that Loki-” Steve was cut off. 

     “Only if they tried to hurt (Y/N); or take her away from him. I fear he has gotten rather fond of her over the past few weeks” Thor spoke gravely but in hushed tones for that no one passing by could hear their exchange. 

     "Yes, it seems they have gotten close, against Tony’s wishes” Steve agreed. 

     “My parents should be in the throne room, we should talk to them first”, Thor hauled Steve along down another corridor. Servants walked past thing doing their daily chores, regarding Steve with careful curiosity. Thor walked up to two large golden doors and threw them open. The whole hall fell silent as Thor walked in, Steve followed close behind. 

     “My son, what a lovely surprise” Odin cheered at the head of the table. Frigga was standing next to him, a smile making its way to her lips when she seen Thor. The rest of the table was filled with Odin’s counselors, all of whom held displeased looks on their faces. 

     “What happened to the front gates?” Thor asked once he was close enough. 

     “Frost Giants, they attacked us yesterday without notice. Luckily, we were able to push them back with no civilian casualties” Odin proudly boasted. 

     “You mean your son and his lady pushed them back” Frigga chided. Odin glared for a moment but ultimately ignored her. 

     “Who is your friend?” Odin asked. Both Thor and Steve were holding a serious expression, not impressed with hearing that both you and Loki had been in a battle without backup. 

     “This is Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America on Midgard. He is part of the Avengers. A member of which your guards seemed happy to kidnap” Thor snapped. Frigga smiled while Odin looked taken back. 

     “She is friends with your brother, she cannot be trusted” Odin snarled but Thor didn’t back down. Before he was able to answer, Frigga stepped in, ignoring her husband. 

     “She saved my life and they both saved the palace, you should speak better of them” she scolded again before looking up at Thor and Steve. “They are both alright, but your father seemed to think it was alright to imprison them” Frigga told them. 

     “I will go get them and we will take our leave” Thor nodded. 

     “Nonsense, stay for dinner at least, have a visit” Frigga smiled. 

     “I will not have that Frost Giant and his whore gallivanting around-” Odin was fuming at the head of the table until Frigga looked back. 

     “Hush husband, I will hear no more of this” she snapped. “Go” she told her son and he grabbed Steve’s shoulder, ushering him out of the room quickly before anything more could be said. They quickly rushed down the palace towards the dungeons. Thor ignored the guards as they tried to protest to his entry and flung the door opened in enough time to hear a large crack. The ceiling fell opened and you landed on the floor, on top of Loki. 

    “You weigh a ton, snowflake” Loki groaned. You pushed off his chest, giving you a bit of height over the trickster. 

     “Shut up, I do not!” You hit him lightly on the arm. He laughed even harder, causing you to laugh until you heard someone clearing their throat. You looked up while Loki craned his neck to try and see behind him. You laughed sheepishly, like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. 

     “Hey boys, finally noticed we were missing?"


	10. Chapter 10

     “So, what exactly was your plan after ruining the ceiling anyway?” Steve asked, looking up at the giant hole in the ceiling. You pushed yourself off Loki and stood up, Loki doing the same and standing right next to you. 

     “To be fair, falling through the ceiling wasn’t part of the plan, we just wanted to get out of the dungeons” you replied sheepishly. 

     “So, no plan at all?” Steve asked, his disapproving dad look that he had perfected long ago, mostly thanks to Tony. 

     “Of course, we had a plan, it would have been foolish not to” Loki snapped. Both Steve and Thor looked over to him. 

     “Okay, then enlighten us” Thor asked, trying to not let a smile form on his lips. Loki glared at them for a few seconds, the silence deafening until he finally threw his hands up in defeat. 

     “Fine, we did not have a plan”, you grabbed Loki’s hand in reassurance which seemed to calm him down quickly. You were going to have to remember that from now on. 

     “In our defense, we had just defeated a bunch of Frost Giants, our adrenaline was pumping and they stuck us in a tiny cage. What the hell did you expect us to do?” You asked. Thor laughed and shook his head at your antics while Steve glared at Thor for not disapproving of their reckless behavior. 

     “Why are you guys here anyway? Is Odin actually letting us leave?” Loki asked, you could feel the hesitation in his voice, he was afraid of the answer. It didn’t help when Thor stopped laughing and his face dropped. 

     “I don’t think Father has any plans of letting you go just yet, but Mother does not want either of you down here any longer. We will try to leave after supper, but don’t worry brother” Thor paused and clasped a large hand to Loki’s shoulder. “I am not going to leave without you” he promised and then looked to you. “Either of you” he confirmed. 

     “Thank you, brother,” Loki said sincerely. You smiled and squeezed his hand slightly, to remind him that you were still there for him. 

     “While we are here though, I expect the upmost respect and good behavior from members of the Avengers” Steve warned both of you, so you and Loki nodded, a little peeved at being told what to do. Steve’s eyes softened and smiled at both of you. “We don’t want to give them any reason to throw you back in the dungeons” he finished and you smiled, Steve was right, you both needed to be on your best behavior. 

     “Steve and I will go back to speak with Father. In the meantime, Loki why don’t you show (Y/N) around the palace. I am sure she did not get to see very much of it while defending it” Thor laughed. 

     “What do you say snowflake? Want to see where I learned to be so cunning and mischievous?” Loki asked and you laughed. 

     “How could I saw no to that?” Loki took your hand and wrapped it around his arm, you took it gratefully as you began to walk out of the dungeons. Before you got too far, to heard Steve yell out to you. 

     “Remember, best behavior!” 

***

     Once you and Loki were out of sight, he grabbed your hand and hauled you along the corridors, breaking into a slight sprint. You giggled as you kept up with him, you couldn’t remember the last time you had this much fun. Loki burst through the doors and the smell of flowers invaded your nostrils. You took a deep breath with your eyes closed, enjoying the smell before opening your eyes to the wonderful sight of a large garden. 

     “This is beautiful” you told a smiling Loki. 

     “I know, I use to come here all the time when I was a kid. Mostly to hide from Odin, Thor and his friends. It was always nice and peaceful here, thought you might enjoy it” Loki smiled at your awe, which was soon replaced with giddy sprinting through the garden. 

     “I love it Loki! Who planted it?” You asked, interested. You were careful not to touch any of the plants, things tended to freeze when you got overexcited. 

     “My mother, shortly after she married Odin. She said she use to come out here to relax and find peace” Loki told you. You smiled, sitting down next to the flowers and enjoying them from a safe distance. Loki sat down next to you and you felt your heart flutter but you weren’t sure why, it had been so long since you felt anything, emotions were complete foreign to you now. 

     Loki chuckled and you looked up from the flowers. You noticed that it was lightly snowing, but the weather was hot so you knew it must have been your powers. 

     “Sorry, I do that when I’m happy sometimes” you told him and Loki chuckled. 

     “Don’t be sorry snowflake, I am happy that you are happy. My powers use to do something similar" he told you and you smiled, happy that he didn’t seem bothered by it. “I know you said it was okay, but I really am sorry for everything I have put you through. The Battle of New York, your family, getting put back on the Avengers even though that technically wasn’t my fault, and of course, trapping you on Asgard with me” Loki voice was so quiet you almost didn’t hear him. You sighed and turned around, averting your gaze from the flowers. 

     You could tell he was hurting over this, and it was hurting you to see him like this. You reached up and cupped his cheek, rubbing your thump along his cool cheek bone.

     “None of this is your fault, I know that, but I forgive you anyway” you told him before reaching up and placing a kiss on his cheek. He looked down instantly so you missed the blush that spread across his cheeks. When he did look back up, he looked better, not as sad. 

     “Thank you”. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, there may be some errors. I wrote in an hour and am too tired to edit right now but I will. In the meantime, I wanted to post, so I hope you still enjoy it!

                “So, should we head to the feast with the others?” Loki asked after some time of silence. You let out a sigh, you had been very happy just spending time with him in the gardens, but of course, it couldn’t last forever.

                “I don’t have anything to wear” you complained, hoping maybe he would tell you that you don’t have to go. No such luck though, instead, he jumped up and hauled you to your feet.

                “Trust me?” He asked, a twinkle of mischievous in his eyes. You smiled and chuckled a little bit.

                “Well I suppose so” you teased, a smile on your face letting him know you did. He smiled as well before you felt his magic surround you. When you looked down you were in a beautiful, floor length, emerald dress with gold trimmings. “Loki, this is beautiful” you gasped.

                “You look ready for a feast”, when you looked up at him he was dressed in the same colours, the green tunic outlining the muscles in his chest. He held out his arm and you took it gratefully as he led you out of the gardens and back to the palace. “Don’t worry about the feast, it’s not too formal and it’s mostly just the family, maybe a few noblemen and a women but pay them no mind” he clarified.

                “That’s still enough for me to be nervous” you admitted. You got to a set of golden doors and he stopped you before entering and turning you to meet his eyes.

                “I will be right there with you. If anyone makes your nervous or uncomfortable, I will tear them apart” Loki told you, no smile to tell you that he was joking. “It’s the least I can do after all” he smiled at that.

                “Thank you, Loki, but I’m sure it’ll be fine”, he scrunched up his nose at the lie but didn’t say anything else about it. He took your hand, pausing to make sure it was okay. So when you smiled back up at him, he took a deep breath and opened the door.

                In the middle of the grand hall, a long table was set up with everyone already seated and empty plates in front of them. You hoped that you weren’t late, you weren’t sure if that’s why Odin was giving you a dirty look or if it was because Loki was standing protectively ahead of you, your hand still in his.

                “Lady (Y/N), brother” Thor gave both of you a smile. “I hope you had a wonderful afternoon around the palace”.

                “Yes, its amazing, Thor” you told him as Loki led you over to the table. He pulled out the chair for you next to Steve, for that you were grateful. He took a seat next to you, his mother on the other side of him. As soon as you were both seated, your plates were filled by magic you didn’t recognize. No one seemed surprised, so you assumed this was normal.

                “So (Y/N), what did Loki show you?” Frigga asked. The fact that she was looking over at you made you nervous.

                “Just the gardens, they were very beautiful, and I didn’t want to leave” you told him, albeit a little shy. Loki smiled and rested a hand on your thigh, encouraging you not to be shy. This didn’t go unnoticed by anyone. Steve and Thor gave him a warning glance, while Odin starred daggers into the back of Loki’s skull.

                “Yes, I do not blame you child, I could spend hours there myself” Frigga offered, making you feel a little better.

                “We should get down to business” Odin’s voice was stern, causing everyone’s smiling to fade and awkwardly look at him at the head of the table. “Thor and his friend seem adamant that you have changed Loki, but I do not believe it”, Loki’s hand tightened on your thigh. It was your turn to help calm him down. You lifted his hand and put it in your own, giving it a light squeeze.

                “What father is saying” Thor paused to glare at Odin. “Is that he wants to see it for himself. He is suggesting a month back on Asgard, out of the dungeons, to prove that you have changed your ways. If after a month, we will come back to collect you and bring you back to Earth if that is what you want” Thor explained.

                You watched Loki think it over, his eyes flickered over to you, but you couldn’t keep the worry from your eyes.

                “And (Y/N)?” He asked. Of course, he wasn’t going to make any decision without knowing what would happen to you.

                “Free to go back to Earth” Odin waved the question off, like it was important. You could feel Loki’s anger at that assumption, but your other hand went to his bicep, helping to ground him. While you were turned to Loki, you missed the worried glance that Thor and Steve shared.

                “Then I accept your terms” Loki agreed but you weren’t happy with that; you didn’t trust Odin.

                “If you’re staying, then so am I” you told everyone. Loki whipped around so quickly you almost fell off your seat. Thor got up and began to protest, saying you didn’t mean what you said, Steve tried to reason with you although you weren’t listening.

                “Quiet!” Odin yelled. Suddenly, the room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Loki’s eyes never moved from your however, silently fighting it out in your own heads. “This will be decided in the morning. You have 12 hours to figure it out”. Odin got up and left the room, leaving you all to fight it out amongst yourselves.

***

                “There is no way you are staying here, snowflake, I will not put you in danger like that. Not again” Loki angerly seethed as he paced the room. Thor had gotten you all to move from the grand hall to his own bedroom to have this conversation away from prying eyes.

                “I don’t trust Odin, I am not leaving you here to suffer god knows what!” You yelled back at him. Steve head was in his hands, listening to the conversation while Thor sat in a chair with a glass of mead in his hands.

                “I can handle myself” Loki retorted. You marched up to him, anger in your eyes.

                “So, can I” you told him. Loki glared at you, giving a long exhale while he tried to think of an answer. He couldn’t apparently, because instead he walked pasted you and out the door, slamming it once he was out. You went to follow him.

                “Where are you going?” Steve asked, standing up from where he had been sitting.

                “I am going to follow him, so we can finish this conversation” you snapped.

                “Look, Loki is right. You don’t belong on Asgard, you belong home with us and I will not go back to the others without you” Steve scolded.

                “I think Steve is right (Y/N), this isn’t your punishment, it’s Loki’s and his own to deal with” he finished. You narrowed your eyes at both of the men, now standing in front of you.

                “Listen well, I am not a child and neither of you get to act like I am. I have been taking care of myself for years and I can do so whether I am on Asgard or not. I am not going home without Loki because we all know he doesn’t deserve this treatment. I am staying and if neither of you like it then stay, otherwise go and I will see you in a month” you finished, walking out and slamming the door just as Loki not moments before.

                You found Loki in the gardens, how you found your own way there, you weren’t entirely sure. He was sitting on the ground in front of the same bush that had taken so much of your attention. You sighed, coming up behind him and sitting down next to him. Loki didn’t seem surprised though.

                “I can’t put you in any more danger” he whispered. You rested your head on his shoulders, taking the flower from his hands and placing it in your hair. This earned yourself a smile from his lips as you looked up at him.

                “It’s my choice, not yours” you told him, grabbing his hands. You sat upright, looking him in the eyes. “I have been depressed and lost for a long time, I know what that’s like. So, don’t ask me to leave you here to suffer the same. I’m staying with you and whatever dangers come our way, we will face them together. That’s what friends are for right?” Loki thought about this before squeezing your hand.

                “Together then”.


	12. Chapter 12

     “Are you absolutely sure about this?” Thor asked, for what felt like the millionth time. You were beginning to get cold, standing on the Bifrost to see him and Thor off. You had picked a dress out of the hundred that Frigga had sent you, but it was very thin fabric and you were beginning to regret your decision.

     “Yes, we will be fine. We’ll look after each other” you told him. Loki noticed you shiver and before you were able to wrap your arms around yourself, you felt his magic drape a long coat around your shoulders. “Thank you, Loki”, you smiled. 

     “Do not fret, I will protect her with my life” Loki tells them, again. 

     “I don’t like this, you should both be coming home with us” Steve sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was already trying to think how to explain this to Tony and Natasha, they especially, were not going to be happy about this. You wrapped your arms around Steve’s neck, giving him a tight hug. 

     “I know, it sucks, but Earth needs you both so go. We’ll see you in a months' time” you smile, trying to ease their worry. They both nodded sadly and headed into the Bifrost, in mere moments, they were back on Earth and you were with Loki on a strange planet. You turned to begin your walk back to the castle. 

     “I could use my magic to get us back to the castle, you know” Loki reminds you. You smile and wrap your arms around his bicep, leaning in to him as much as you could. 

     “I know, but what’s wrong with walking? I have barely seen Asgard since coming here, I would like to look around” you told him. You could feel his worry for you. “If that’s alright, of course” you added, just in case it wasn’t what he wanted to do. He inhaled deeply. 

     “Of course, snowflake. You must be curious about the planet you will be stranded on for the next thirty days. I will show you around as best I can” he promised. Once reaching the end of the Bifrost, Loki took you left, instead of going straight up to the castle once more. 

     Within minutes, you were surrounded by strange people, smells and sights. You were loving every minute of it and it was hard to keep a smile from you face as you went from vendor to vendor. You looked at all the strange fruit, so encapsulated by your own amazement that you failed to notice the strange looks Loki was receiving since you arrived. 

     Turning back around, you could sense his discomfort. Listening to the whispers around you was almost enough to set you off, but you tried to remain calm and remember that no one had probably seen Loki since his banishment to Earth. Instead of insisting that you both leave, you bounced up to Loki, earning yourself a smile from his lips. 

     “What are these? Are they fruit?” You asked, trying to distract him from the mean-spirited gossip that was going on all around you. After all, you were both going to be stuck on Asgard for a while, there was no way he would avoid this forever. Lucky for you, your plan seemed to work and he focused on you instead. 

     “Yes, my little snowflake. They are called the sweet fruit” he told you, picking a few of the small fruit up and handing the vendor a coin. He took it, albeit a little hesitantly, from the prince. 

     “Not a very creative name” you laughed. He smiled and shook his head. 

     “No, Asgardians are not really known for their creativity” he agreed as he began to peel one of the fruits. He kept walking, so you tried to keep up as you watched him with the strange food. Once the peeling was discarded, he stopped. “Close your eyes” he tells you and you lift your eyebrow in question. “Trust me, snowflake” he laughs. You sigh, but comply and close your eyes. You feel the piece of fruit on your lips and open your mouth for Loki to pop the fruit in your mouth. 

     The taste was immediately sweet, but unrecognizable to anything you had on Earth. You opened your eyes once more to see Loki waiting expectantly, but you finish chewing first. 

     “This is amazing, I don’t think I have any tasted anything like it”, he smiles at that. 

     “I will have a whole crate sent to your room for you” he proclaims and you laugh, grabbing his arm once more as you continued to walk through the market. The people never stopped gossiping about the prince, but now you noticed the gossip also included you. 

     “Jeeze, you would think they had never seen a woman on your arm before” you comment, trying to ignore the leering eyes. 

     “They haven’t” he admits and you roll your eyes. “What? I’m telling the truth” Loki laughs. 

     “You expect me to believe that you have never tried to woo another woman? Never flaunted her around the market for all to see and be jealous?” You were exaggerating now and Loki had become accustomed to your teasing tone, so he didn’t take it seriously. 

     “Never”, he was adamant. “There was never anyone special enough” he admits a little sadly. You squeeze his arm, a smile on your face. 

     “Well then, I am happy to be the first” you tell him truthfully. He accepts this and you both continue to walk, starting up the hill to the castle gates, which were still under repair. You walked through it and Loki led you down some corridors, still unfamiliar to you but you assumed you were heading back to your room. 

     “So, it’s true” you whipped your head around at the new voice and you heard Loki groan in frustration. “Little Loki has a little girlfriend” the man mocked. There were three of them grinning at you and Loki. You let go of Loki’s arm and balled your hands into fists, ready to punch this man. 

     “Loki, who is this and can I kill him?” You asked, a little too politely and Loki smiled. 

     “These are Thor’s idiot friends, the Warriors Three. Volstagg, Hogun the one you want to kill is Fandral” he told you. You sighed, so no, you couldn’t kill them. 

     “Let’s get one thing straight, you get a pass only because you are Thor’s friends and I am assuming he would be disappointed to find you dead on his return” you told Fandral, trying your best not to let your powers take over for you. 

     “Feisty, best keep this one on a leash Loki, or I may steal her away” Fandral smirked. You were seeing red now, but waiting and looked up at Loki.

     “Go ahead” he told you. Before anyone could ask what he meant, you punched Fandral in the face, sending him flying to the floor. The other two warriors snickered as Fandral cursed. 

     “It’s about time someone put you in your place Fandral, maybe that will teach you not to speak of women as if they aren’t there”, you turned around to see a dark-haired woman join you in the hall. She was taller than you and held a slight smile on her face. 

     “Lady Sif, how nice of you to join us. This is Lady (Y/N) of Midgard. Snowflake, this is Lady Sif, another one of Thor’s friends but not an idiot like the others” Loki smiled. 

     “Nice to meet you” you spoke a little shyly, remembering that you had promised Steve to be on your best behavior and you already punched one of Thor’s friends. 

     “Likewise, and don’t worry about Fandral, he deserved to get hit in the face. So, where are you two off to on such a lovely day?” She asked. 

     “I was about to show her the Library when these poor fools interrupted us” Loki replied and your eyes lit up. “Sorry darling, I had wanted it to be a surprise” he added. 

     “Well, we won’t keep you but I wanted to let you know that the Warriors and I will be patrolling the borders tomorrow, if you would like to join us. You lady is more than welcome as well, it seems she can take care of herself” Sif winked at you and you tried not to blush. You could feel Loki’s arm wrap tightly around your waist. 

     “Thank you Sif, we will think about it” Loki told her and ushered you down the corridor. 

     "She seemed nice” you told him. 

     “Yes, she can be. I suspect she is going to be checking up on us for my brother, trying to ensure we don’t get ourselves into any trouble” he told you and you nodded, made sense that Thor would want someone to check up on you. He brought you to an old part of the castle, it looks like it hadn’t been well maintained in the last few years, a thin layer of dust could be seen on everything. 

     “Is this the Library?” You asked, a little nervous he had taken you somewhere else. He smiled and nodded. 

     “Unfortunately, it doesn't get much visitors so it’s not as well upheld as the rest of the castle” he told you, putting a hand on the door. “Are you ready?” He asked with a smirk on his lips. You nodded your head vigorously, too excited for words to form. He pushed open the gate and you ran inside, pausing when you notice the immensity of the Library. 

     Books lined the walls as far up and as far wide as you could see. Ladders were placed strategically around the room, you assumed to get to different sections of the library. You gasped in awe as Loki joined you. 

     “I thought maybe this would make you feel more at home, besides, people rarely come in here so the privacy is nice” he told you. Once you peeled your eyes away from all the books, you looked to Loki, trying not to cry at the gesture. He wanted to make you feel at home, which is more than you have had in a while. Before you could stop yourself, you flung your arms around Loki, letting your lips crash to his. You pulled away when you noticed that he wasn’t hugging you and you realize what you did. Quickly, you pushed yourself off of him, eyes wide. 

     “I am so sorry” you told him quickly. He seemed to recover once you spoke and he looked at you, a smile playing on his lips. 

     “Don’t be” he told you before grabbing your hand and pulling you into him. His hand brushed your hair away as he looked into your eyes. You wrapped your hands around his neck once more as he leaned down. His lips brushed against yours, almost as if he was waiting for you to pull away. Instead, you kissed him again. 


	13. Chapter 13

     You woke up to a banging on the door. You heard Loki curse beside you as you gently opened your eyes, the room was still dark, the sun now yet shining through the windows. 

     “What’s going on?” You mumbled, curling into the blanket as Loki got up from the bed. You tried not to peak as his pants rode low on his hip bones, making your cheeks grow hot. 

     “I will find out darling” Loki told you quietly, bending down to give you a kiss on your head. You smiled, watching him head towards the door. He flung the door opened, glaring at Sif. “What do you want at this ungodly hour?” 

     “We’re leaving for the border earlier than expected, a few raiding company’s have been spotted near some of the villages” Sif told him. His demeanor changed immediately and he nodded, letting Sif go to get ready. He closed the door and turned back around, you sat up in bed quickly, throwing the blankets off of you. 

     “Trouble?’ You asked. 

     “Of course” Loki sighed. “You should stay here, I will go with the warriors and take care of the threat” Loki told you, his armor shimmering into place. You rolled your eyes and huffed. 

     “Oh please, has that ever worked for you?” Your own armor shimmered into place and Loki smirked at you. 

     “At least I tried darling” Loki smiled, his hand snaking around your waist and pulling you into him. “At least promise that you will stay by my side and be careful” he asked and you nodded. 

     “Why would I ever want to leave your side anyway, Trickster?” He laughed and accepted your answer. You moved away from him, putting your hair up in a ponytail and following him out of the room. “I need some coffee if we’re going into battle this early. Does coffee exist on Asgard?” You were not awake enough for a battle yet. 

     “Sadly no, but magic can fix that” he smiled and a cup of coffee appeared in your hand. You smiled and breathed in the aroma, completely content. Loki led you from the castle, through the sleeping town and to the stables. Sif and the warriors were just finishing getting ready, taking a little longer without magical abilities. 

     “What have you got there?” Fandrall asked, coming a little too close to you. You could hear Loki practically growl at the man as he tried to look into your cup. You grabbed your dagger, hovering it at his throat. 

     “Touch my coffee and you die” you told him and Loki laughed. 

     “She’s pretty cranky before her first coffee, I would heed her warning” Loki added as he got two of the horses ready, you assumed one was for you. 

     “What’s coffee?” Sif asked. 

     “It’s a drink that mortals have to help them wake up in the mornings or anytime they need more energy, tastes pretty bad, if you ask me, but she loves it” Loki answered. 

     “Want to try?” You asked Sif. 

     “Hey, why does she get to try but I get a death threat?” Fandrall asked, quite offended by the turn of events. 

     “She isn’t mean to Loki” you told him. Sif looked at the cup being passed to her curiously, but shrugged and decided to try it. Once the liquid was swallowed, she almost spit it back up. 

     “How do you drink that? It’s so bitter!” She complained and you shrugged, taking a large gulp before the beverage cooled down. 

     “Acquired taste, I suppose”, Loki agreed. Once the coffee was done, you disappeared the mug and Loki brought you over to the horse. 

     “Have you ever ridden before?” Loki asked and you nodded. 

     “All the time when I was younger, grew up with horses” you told him proudly as you got up on the horse. He smiled, looking impressed and let you handle yourself. Once he was on his, you were both ready to go. It didn’t take long for the warriors to be ready either and you all headed out. 

     The sun was beginning to rise while you rode through the countryside. Loki stay by your side, pointing things out as you went. It was a beautiful morning for a ride through Asgard, many beautiful things to see and Loki seemed to enjoy talking about his home with you. 

     Well, it was enjoyable until a scream pierced through the air. Without thinking, you sped towards the scream, Loki calling out your name and following close behind. The horse galloped quickly, soon you came to a village that was on fire. Villagers screamed and ran away from the attackers, men who had their faces painted red and blue, large cycles in hand. 

     You jumped off your horse, using your powers to blanket the village in snow, effectively extinguishing the fires but making the village slightly cold. Sif and the Warriors set to work protecting the villagers, as did you and Loki. 

     “Remember, stay by my side!” Loki told you as you blocked an attack. You quickly agreed, not intending the stay too far away from him. During the fight however, the enemies had a different plan and you were quickly separated from the others. 

     “So this is the girl that Asgard is so taken by?” You were cornered by four of them and they were beginning to make you angry. “She is a pretty little thing, think we could get a ransom from the Allfather, boys?” He asked and one agreed but another licked his lips, making you turn away in disgust. 

     “You do realize that if I don’t kill you, Loki will rip you to shreds?” You asked, but seemed to be taken back at the mere mention of Loki’s name. 

     “The dark prince is banished” one of them spoke up. You rolled your eyes. 

     “So you heard the rumors about me being in Asgard and on the palace but not that I am usually on Loki’s arm? I think you need to listen better” you told him. 

     “Don’t speak to us that way, you stupid bitch” one of them growled out and you crossed your arms, annoyed with them now. The chaos from the villages seemed to calm down, no more screaming was heard so Loki would be over soon. 

     “Are these men bothering you, darling?” Loki’s voice caused the men to break up in panic, moving away from you slightly. You smirked, turning slightly to see him. 

     “Yes, they are” you pouted. 

     “Want me to handle it?” Loki asked, walking up to you, giving you a quick peck. You smiled up at him, glad he wasn’t angry with you. You knew he worried, but he also knew you were fully capable of taking care of these guys yourself. 

     “No, I think I got this” you smiled, turning to the scared men. They began to run away, but with a flick of your hands, they all turned to ice. You smiled at Loki as he sent the raiders back to Asgard. 

     “They can defrost in the dungeons” Loki told her, grabbing her hand. They walked back to the village where Sif and the Warriors were waiting for them. The village wasn’t in complete ruin, but it would need to be repaired. There didn’t seem to be too many injuries nor did there seem to be any deaths. 

     “T-T-Thank you, P-Prince Loki” an elderly gentleman stammered out. You were positive that he was frightened of Loki, even though the god was smiling, his arm wrapping around you. 

     “Oh, no need to thank him sir, he is just doing his duty” you smiled at the man, leaning in to Loki and hugging him. “We should stick around and help clean up” you told Loki. 

     “That’s not really our job” Fandrall started but with a quick glare from you, he stopped talking and backed away. 

     “If that’s what you so desire, then we can do that” Loki told you and you lit up, smiling like a child who was just given candy. You went to work straight away, giving Sif and the Warriors different jobs while Loki helped you with your own tasks. 

     The sun was started to go down when you finally seemed to have the village set right again. You and Loki both used a lot of magic to help recreate the town, you were both almost dead on your feet when it was time to head back. Slowly, you climbed back into the saddle, waving goodbye at the town with your eyes barely opened. 

     The ride back to the castle was a blur, you only seemed to notice where you were when you almost fell off your saddle. The sudden shift had made sure that you were awake again. You and Loki rode straight up to the gates, only stopping once you got to the door. Loki asked the guards to take care of the horses, then went to grab you. 

     “Come on snowflake, you need some rest” he told you, pulling you down from the saddle and into his arms. 

     “You need some rest too” you told him, trying to wiggle out of his arms. You were too tired to really get out though, he had a strong grip. 

     “Yes, we both need some sleep” he told you, turning a corner. You curled into him as he took you back to his room where you had been staying, even though Frigga had ensured that you had your own. He was quick to open the door and gently place you on the bed, he fell down next to you and you were both instantly asleep. 


End file.
